“hike (salary)”
Say “a raise” (US), “a pay rise” (UK) or “a salary increase” (everywhere). “Hike” appears in headlines about prices and wages, but people talking about their own pay rarely use it outside India.
Updated · Loista team
Understood across India
I got a 20% hike.
Travels further
- I got a 20% raise.
- I got a 20% pay rise.
- My salary went up by 20%.
Why it lands differently
“A price hike” or “a tax hike” is common international English. For your own salary, though, “hike” sounds like a news headline, and some listeners first think of a walk in the hills. In an interview or salary conversation, “increase” is the safe word.
When it's fine
For prices, taxes and rates: “a fuel price hike”, “an interest-rate hike”.
Try it out loud
Read each line, say a version that travels out loud, then open it to compare. Any version that's clear to a listener abroad counts.
What hike are you expecting?
What salary increase are you looking for?
Appraisals and hikes are in April.
Reviews and pay rises happen in April.
I'm switching for a better hike.
I'm moving for a better salary.
Practise saying it, not just reading it
Loista gives you a realistic speaking prompt and specific feedback on your answer, then a retry focused on one thing, so you can hear whether it landed.
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